GOLF ROUNDUP : MURPHY WINS NINE-HOLE PLAYOFF.

Byline: Associated Press

Bob Murphy rolled in an 80-foot birdie putt on the ninth sudden-death playoff hole to defeat Jay Sigel and win $150,000 at the Toshiba Senior Classic on Sunday in Newport Beach.

``I felt if I was going to miss it, I wanted to miss it below the hole, but when it kept tracking towards the hole I said, `Son of a gun, this might go in,' '' Murphy said.

The nine-hole playoff is an all-time Senior Tour playoff record, surpassing the eight-hole playoff won by Orville Moody against Bob Betley in the 1992 Showdown Classic in Utah.

``I wasn't weary at all,'' Murphy said. ``The adrenaline was flowing. But in about an hour I'll really be tired.''

Sigel had a chance to tie Murphy, but his 25-foot birdie putt fell off to the right of the hole.

``If I'd have just hit that putt a little harder I might have made that putt,'' Sigel said. ``Murph made three key putts and any time you make three key putts in a playoff, you should win.''

The 54-year-old Murphy, a Brooklyn, N.Y., native, won his 11th Senior tournament since he started on the Senior Tour in 1993.

``I had a real up and down day,'' Murphy said. ``It was very hard to score out there today as you can tell by the scores. It was a day for a tremendous amount of patience.''

Pennsylvania native Sigel turned pro in 1993, shortly before reaching 50. He was looking for his third Senior Tour title after never having played as a pro on the regular PGA Tour.

``I was hitting the ball OK,'' Sigel said. ``The conditions got tough and the wind became pretty tough.''

Murphy and Sigel ended regulation play at 6-under par 217. Murphy had three birdies and Sigel had two birdies in the playoff.

Murphy sank a 7-footer on the first playoff hole and then watched Sigel tie with an 18-inch birdie putt. Each player recorded pars at the 16th, 17th and 18th holes before heading back to the 16th for the fifth hole in the playoff.

Murphy saved par at the 16th with a 3-foot putt after hitting his tee shot and then his approach shot into the right rough. Both golfers recorded pars at the 17th, the sixth playoff hole, and headed for the 18th for the fourth time in Sunday's round.

Murphy sank a dramatic 15-foot putt from the apron to record a birdie at the 18th and tie Sigel.

Appleby wins Honda Classic: Stuart Appleby holed a wedge from the thick rough for eagle, part of a strong finishing kick that won him the Honda Classic in what turned out to be a 36-hole marathon in Coral Springs, Fla.

Appleby shot a 5-under-par 67 in the morning for the third-round lead, then overcame a bogey-bogey start to shoot 71 and win by one stroke over Payne Stewart and Michael Bradley.

Appleby, a 25-year-old Australian who had to go through qualifying school last year, finished at 14-under 274 over the TPC at Heron Bay and won $270,000.

Bradley, four strokes back going into the final 18 holes, had a chance to send it into a playoff but missed a 22-foot birdie putt on the last hole.

After the second round was washed out by rain, officials decided to play the final two rounds on Sunday. It was the first 36-hole finish since Fred Couples won the Buick Open in 1994.

Appleby won for the first time on the PGA Tour and it came at the expense of Stewart, who needs a victory to get into the Masters.

Stewart, the former PGA and U.S. Open champion who hasn't won since the 1995 Houston Open, appeared to be in control of the tournament with a two-stroke lead until he missed a 2-1/2-foot par putt on No. 12.

Andrews overtakes Sorenstam: In Tucson, Ariz., Donna Andrews shook off her cold but never lost her cool.

Andrews, aided by the rare collapse of Swedish star Annika Sorenstam, shot a 4-under-par 68 to win the LPGA Welch's-Circle K Championship by one shot over late-charging Tina Barrett.

``I still got the sniffles and I was a little nervous out there,'' said Andrews, who has battled the flu since Thursday. ``It's been a long time since I've been in the lead.

``From the 13th hole on, I could see the leaderboard. I just said a little prayer and tried to stay focused.''

Andrews, who also won here in 1994, finished with a 15-under 273 - one shot shy of tying Chris Johnson's 1984 tournament record.

It was the fifth career win for Andrews and the winner's purse of $75,000 represented more money than she made in three of her previous seven years on the tour.

Sorenstam, off to the LPGA's best start in 28 years with two wins and a second-place finish in three events, never recovered from a triple-bogey on the ninth hole.

She shot 71 to share third place with Dale Eggeling, who had a final-round 69.

TOP FINISHERS

SENIORS

x-Bob Murphy, $150,000-6

Jay Sigel, $88,0006

Isao Aoki, $60,0005

Gil Morgan, $60,000-5

Bob Charles, $60,000-5

PGA

Stuart Appleby, $270,000-8

Payne Stewart, $132,000-7

Michael Bradley, $132,000-7

Colin Montgomerie, $72,000-5

LPGA

Donna Andrews, $75,000-15

Tina Barrett, $46,546-14

Dale Eggeling, $30,192-13

Annika Sorenstam, $30,192-13

CAPTION(S):

Photo, Box

Photo: Bob Murphy takes his hat off after sinking an 80-foot birdie putt to win the Toshiba Senior Golf Classic.

Associated Press

Box: TOP FINISHERS (see text)